Order of the Crimson Stag
The Order of the Crimson Stag is one of the six Chivalric Orders etablished by the Kingdom Law of Drakenfjord. The Order is made up of those Knights, their Squires and Pages who pursue the ideals of artistic or scientific development. Heraldry The Blazon for the Badge of the Order of the Crimson Stag is: Or, a stag standant Gules, a bordure embattled Gules.'' '' Charter for the Chivalric Order of the Crimson Stag Mission Statement: Knights of the Order of the Crimson Stag (Red Knights) shall dedicate themselves to enriching the realm through efforts of creation, performance, and teaching in the field of the Arts and Sciences. Membership: All members of the Order are expected to behave honorably, attend no less than two kingdom level gatherings per year, encourage the populace to participate (especially in the area of the Arts and Sciences), display at least one item created or teach at each event attended, and sponsor (individually or as part of a group) at least one A&S based activity per year. All members of the Order shall be expected to perform various services these include: *Provide some A&S-related service or function at least once per year at Events. Private and non-Event functions do not apply. **This requirement may be waived if special circumstances exist. **Support, assist, or otherwise render aid to a fellow Order Member who is in legitimate need of such assistance. ***This aid is to be left to the judgment of the providing Order Member. **Maintain a degree of personal responsibility at all times, especially at Events. **Any member of the Order of the Crimson Stag may withdraw from the order at any time. **Any person who does not participate in any activities of the Order, such as attending meetings of the Order, voting on candidates, or paying Drakenfjord membership dues, for two entire consecutive reigns shall be presumed to have temporarily declined continued membership until he or she begins to participate anew. **All members shall have a right to attend and participate in all meetings of the Order, and the right to seek office within the Order. Ranks of Membership: *'Honorary:' Esquires, Squires, Pages and Armsmen in the service of an Order Member may be accepted as an Acolyte of the Order. This is done at the Knight's discretion rather than agreement of the entire Order, and he is responsible for their conduct. They may also petition independently, regardless of their Knight's Order or affiliation, but must meet the same criteria as Knight Errants. Pages and Armsmen in the service of an Order Member may be accepted as an Neophyte of the Order. This is done at the Knight's discretion rather than agreement of the entire Order, and he is responsible for their conduct. They may also petition independently, regardless of their Knight's Order or affiliation, but must meet the same criteria as Knight Errants. If successful, they will be assigned a Patron Knight of higher rank to oversee their training and development. *'Full Membership:' Knights ''who wish to join may petition the order directly for full membership. In order to qualify as an Knight one must: have been an Knight for no less than 1 month, been granted at least three awards for A&S (any combination of Anvils, Flutes, Garbers, Roses, and Quills), petitioned for membership within the Order and passed a vote of membership. Chivalric Rankings *''Knight Bachelor: Must have been a Knight Errant for a least one month, been granted at least three awards for A&S, petitioned for membership within the Order and passed a vote of membership. *''Knight Companion'': Must have been a member of the Order for at least one month, been granted at least five awards for A&S, petitioned for a status vote and have passed the vote by no less than two-thirds. *''Knight Banneret: Must have been a member of the Order for no less than two months, been granted at least ten awards for A&S, been granted a title of Nobility, petitioned for a status vote and have passed the vote by no less than two-thirds. *''Knight Senior: Must have been a member of the Order no less than three months, been granted a title of Nobility, been granted at least fifteen awards for A&S, been granted a title of Nobility, petitioned for a status vote and have passed the vote by no less than two-thirds. *''Knight Commander:'' Must have been a member of the Order no less than three months, been granted a title of Nobility, been granted at least fifteen awards for A&S, announced intent to become Knight Commander and have been elected to that position at the annual Knight Commander vote held at Drakenfjord Coronation. There are no term limits for the position. Meetings: *The Order shall meet at least once every reign at the Drakenfjord Coronation event. *All members may attend any meeting of the Order. **A non-member may attend any meeting of the Order only by invitation of the Order. *The discussion of any candidate shall be limited to matters relevant to that candidate's qualification for the Order of the Crimson Stag. **This includes their behavior as a knight of the realm but does not include personal grievances. *Every member present at a meeting has an absolute right, but not obligation, to speak on each candidate prior to the vote on that candidate. Confidentiality of Meetings It is the custom of the Order that the discussions of potential candidates of the Order be kept confidential, thus, the discussion of candidates and the results of discussion are considered privileged information and not to be shared with those outside of the Order except when absolutely necessary (such as declining a potential member). Voting: *All membership petition and status petition votes will be take place at the first membership meeting after the petition is submitted. *All votes on candidates at the meeting shall be by written secret ballot. **As all votes are secret, no individual member may change his or her vote once it has been cast. *Whenever possible, votes at the meeting shall be counted by one member and verified by a second member. *The vote totals shall be announced at the meeting that the vote was taken. *All ballots shall be destroyed after the votes have been counted and verified. *Whenever possible, notification of the candidates being voted upon shall be sent to all members prior to the meeting where the vote will be held. **Notification of the updated status of the candidates voted upon shall be sent to all members who were not present when the vote on any particular candidate was taken. Discipline: As all members of the Order are expected to behave in accordance with their status as members of the order, there must be a method for disciplining any Order Members who do not do so. Thus, if an Order Member displays conduct which is contrary to the stated purpose of the Order, brings significant damages to the physical assets of Drakenfjord, or engages in any unacceptable violent activity towards another Fjordsman, the offender will be called to appear before either a Tribunal of Order Members selected by the Knight Commander or the Nobles Council to determine innocence or guilt and, if guilty, accept suitable punishment for the transgression. Such punishments may include, but are not limited to: *Temporary demotion to a lower status within the Order, *Permanent demotion to a lower status within the Order, *Requirements for compensation or restitution, *Expulsion from the Order *Or any combination of the punishments listed above. Assets of the Order: There shall be no establishment of a treasury beyond that created by private agreement among individual Order Members. *Such private agreement may be structured to the satisfaction of the participating Order Members. *No member of the Order of the Crimson Stag may be compelled to enter into such an agreement. Category:Drakenfjord Customs Category:Fjordsmen